Nursing student survival tips

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    Joe V
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    Joe V

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Specializes in Programming / Strategist for allnurses.

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Many will be starting nursing school for the first time this year. Do you have any tips to share?

Macaroni and cheese and hot sauce?? Yikes!

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Specializes in Home Health, SNF,Psychiatric, Prison,.

After going thru LPN and ADN, all I can say is hang in there. There will be days you will swear you can't go on and can't go another night without sleep, you'll never understand the difference between cc and ml or how many drops per minute for each drop factor, and can't remember all those symptoms. You will and you will become stronger and a better person and nurse for it. Good luck. BTW, I start in the fall for my BSN. I'm 54 and got my LPN at 28, my RN at 47. So, GO FOR THE GOLD.

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Nursing school reminds me of being a brand-new mom to a newborn. Those baby books really do have some useful tips for those in nursing school.

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Specializes in Psych.

Nah, they forgot the coffee, soda, chocolate, ramen, or any food that can be purchased from a vending machine and consumed with little or no effort.

Still the same as a nurse, my patients would cringe if they new what my diet consisted of.

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As a senior BSN student, I can say that DO your reading and assignments on time. We have 7-8 chapters (some times even 13) for each test. If you procrastinate, it will be very frustrating. For me and my classmates, there is no social life at all. I don't want to sound negative, but that's the reality. However, it is definitely worth it after all. Once you start your clinicals and see the smile on your patient's face just because of your caring approach to them, you'll know it's worth it. Nursing is not just about hanging IV's or doing assessments. The therapeutic communication you will establish with your patients will also affect your social life. You'll become a better listener and much more patient than you were before.

My surviving skill is recording the lectures and listening to them over and over again while my book and power points are in front of me. My school is using ATI. Reading from ATI is also very helpful. About the caffeine: Most of my friends are having palpitations at the age of 21! I try my best to avoid caffeine. Good luck everyone!!!!

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

After my first RN paycheck this summer, I will never eat ramen noodles or cheese sandwiches ever again.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

It was all about the totinos cheap ass $0.99 pizzas slathered in sriracha. And ramen.

Im having a wave of nostalgia coming. Time to run to safeway.

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Specializes in Psych.
After my first RN paycheck this summer, I will never eat ramen noodles or cheese sandwiches ever again.

You will be amazed at how fast that paycheck goes and that ramen and cheese sandwiches are what you are able to inhale on your lunch.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU/Trauma/Emergency.

Coffee will be your best friend for the remainder of your nursing career.

Read through your text books, and remember the conversion charts...MG, ML, CC

Try to remember the most critical values amylase levels, PH levels, T3-T4, etc.

Nursing becomes your life, not just a job. You will find yourself dreaming about nursing, gaining new friends who so happen to be nurses. As I look around now, all of the friends I had my first go around in college are no longer as close.

Once you get to your clinical sites, turn off your cell phones & pay attention. Stay close to everyone in the unit, even the unit clerks. You can learn valuable lessons from the Unit clerks, they've typically been there longer than most nurses.

Remember, invest as much time, patience, and if possible, money into your new profession. This will pay off in the long run. The job market may be tough, but great help is hard to pass by!

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I piece of advice PEPSI MAX. Twice the caffeine AND a jolt of Ginseng-wooohoooo

In all seriousness, a good night's sleep before a test is vital! All night study sessions are not good for your mind or body. A good night's sleep helps the info stick.

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I piece of advice PEPSI MAX. Twice the caffeine AND a jolt of Ginseng-wooohoooo

In all seriousness, a good night's sleep before a test is vital! All night study sessions are not good for your mind or body. A good night's sleep helps the info stick.

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Specializes in Psych.

My advice to new students is to keep up with reading, attend every lecture and get a good nights sleep before tests. Don't cram, you won't retain anyrthing. Prepare yourself WELL for clinical, get a good nights sleep before and EAT BREAKFAST. No one likes a syncopal student in the OR LOL! Its super stressful, but its life changing. Take some ntime to enjoy it, it will be over before you know it.

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